To Whom Are They Terrorists?

To Whom Are They Terrorists?

Psalm 27:1-6

September 16, 2001

by Cooper Abrams, Calvary Baptist Church, Tremonton, Utah

Introduction: Most of America is focused on the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by Arab terrorists. It is certainly a despicable and deplorable act by the vilest of men. Our prayers are with the families and friends of those who lost loved ones and with the men and women working in the rescue attempts.

Life in America has certainly been effected and this has been a terrifying wake up call. Not even in the two world wars we fought and the smaller later wars has an attack be made on American mainland. In the attack on Pearl Harbor, 2403 servicemen were killed, yet on September 11th recent estimates tell us that over 6000 men, women and children were killed. Our President has declared that war on these terrorist and our military is preparing to respond.

Our country has been deeply affected with the shutdown of all air traffic and the most important financial center in our nation was destroyed before our very eyes. Our economy has been deeply effected and the economic ramifications of this attack will be far reaching.

America is now in a War!

One frustrating element in all this is trying to identify the enemy. Some Senators has suggested that we declare war...but who shall we declare war against? We know that our country will respond with great force once the enemy is identified and I am confident those who supported the terrorists will be punished severely.

I received an e-mail of a article by Michael T. Klare, Professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College. In the article Professor Klare said:

There are many in Washington and around the country who believe that the United States should declare war on bin Laden -- along with any governments that have given him assistance of one sort or another -- and employ the full weight of American military power to accomplish this purpose. Such action would undoubtedly help restore confidence in the power of the American nation, and provide a degree of satisfaction to those who crave retribution for Tuesday’s horrific attacks. But we must also ask: Will it achieve the goal of eradicating bin Laden’s networks and eliminating the terrorist threat to the United States? There are good reasons to suspect that it will not.

The image of American aircraft and missiles bombing Arab states and producing massive casualties -- many of them, inevitably, civilians with no ties to Islam -- will surely confirm the belief among many ordinary Muslims that bin Laden is right: that the United States is intent on tormenting and subduing the Islamic world. As Bruce Shapiro has observed, out of the rubble of American attacks will come thousands of new volunteers for bin Laden’s anti-American jihad.

Even more troubling, it is highly unlikely that such action will actually succeed in crippling bin Laden’s underground networks. Unlike conventional military forces, these groups do not maintain fixed bases and installations but move from one camouflaged location to another -- all over the world.

America is vulnerable

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America has been shocked into the realization that we are vulnerable to terrorist attacks. It is a chilling and fearful thought that almost all those experts tell us that no matter what precautions we take, a terrorist who is willing to commit suicide to carry out an attack cannot be completely defended against.

Modern Israel has been living this constant fear of attack since it began in 1948. They live in a militaristic society with armed soldiers every where in the country. No one in the country is safe from terrorist attack....and now for the first time Americans can understand what it means to live in fear of one’s enemies.

The experts tell us that a small plane carrying deadly biological elements could fly over a populated area in America and in days kill millions of people. Folks that is a terrifying thought and will all the millions of small planes in America how can we defend ourselves against such an attack.

America has certainly been changed because of this attack. The future is unclear and there is a growing fear that terrorism on our soil may now be a way of life. We pray that that is not so and the efforts of our government will be successful and terrorism ended. Americans have lived in peace and our future has always looked bright. We could make our future plans for ourselves and our children with no thought of living under the threat of a prolonged terrorist war on our soil. We honestly fear for the futures of our sons and daughters and our grandchildren.

The Muslim Threat.

These fundamentalist Muslims, worship a god they call Allah and their religion is called Islam. Since the beginnings of Islam in 622 AD it has been a cruel religion that murdered millions of people in the name of their god. They claim that they worship the God of Abraham, however upon examination it is easily shown they do not worship the God of the Bible. The founder of this militant religion was the son of a camel driver named Muhammad who is their prophet. Islam is the religion of all the Arab states. The Creed is "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet." They pray five times daily, facing Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia.